Inner Turmoil
by AmenToTheMangaBible11
Summary: She wants their love to be secret; he wants a love that she would be brave enough to confess. When it came to their relationship he was clearly far less confused, which surprised even himself. She brings out the secret, mischievous side of him, and is soon swept up in his game of admittance. He's going to make her work for his attention now, and it won't be easy to win it.
1. Chapter 1

Inner Turmoil

She laid her head gently in the crook of his neck and slung her arm loosely over his shoulders. It was nice, she had decided after much consideration on her part, that sitting in his lap beneath the shady tree in their training field had become her favorite place to be as of late.

The breeze was slight, but it kept the heat from becoming stifling, so she was grateful for it. She slid her fingers through his long, cocoa colored hair, and after a brief moment of jealousy for the luscious locks, smiled gently. He hummed deep in his chest, and she felt the vibrations through her fingertips.

His eyes were closed, she noticed, and she instantly missed the warm look that had just been on his face. She breathed the clean air in deeply and sighed in contentment.

Neji looked down at the beautiful girl in his arms through cracked eyes. Her forehead protector was on the ground beside his shirt, which, he noticed abruptly, that she had folded once he had sat down. Tenten always found some small way to make his day, he realized.

"Tenten," he said while shaking her gently. His only response was a growl and something that vaguely resembled a 'shuddup' from the girl before she attempted to snuggle her face farther into his chest.

Neji chuckled quietly before he attempted to sit up. Tenten grumbled again, but obliged, and rose slowly to her feet, popping at least 3 vertabrae in her spine along the way.

"You're such a mean man Neji, it's been weeks since we've been able to just spend time together." Tenten laced her fingers with his as they walked from the shade of the trees that surrounded the field.

Neji pulled his shirt back over his head and tied the belt around his waist. He slipped his larger palm back into hers as they walked towards town.

"Could I make it up to you by paying for a quick dinner before I report to the Hokage?" He bumped her gently with his elbow, and smirked slightly, ignoring the growing smile on her face. She suddenly took off, dragging the poor Hyuga boy -man- behind her.

. . . . .

"He's gay! I mean come on, it's really obvious." Tenten all but shouted from her seat at the ramen stand, her finger shoved in Neji's glowering face.

"I offer to pay for her food, and all I get is caught in an argument of my sexuality." Neji grumbled angrily to himself. 'And my own girlfriend is pitching her vote against me!' He closed his eyes and tried to drown out the background noise of their argument; he could feel a headache creeping up on him.

Neji vaguely registered that the argument between his favorite kunoichi and a certain big-mouthed, pink-haired, current cause of his headache had ceased. He sighed in appreciation. Tenten spun her stool around to face the wide bar just as a steaming bowl was placed before her; she all but squealed in excitement.

Neji was torn between smiling in amusement at her childishness or grimacing in preparation for the messy eater that was Tenten. He opted out on his choices and rather just turned to his own bowl and, after a quick word of thanks, began his meal.

He brought the chopsticks to his mouth almost mechanically as he went over his report in his head. The Hokage wasn't the sharpest kunai in the holster, but it wouldn't hurt to have a speech prepared for the situation. 'Plus it's entertaining to watch him struggle with the bigger words.' Neji smirked before bringing the chopsticks to his lips once more.

Tenten had finished after a few minutes, and the momentary silence was soon over as she began chatting about anything and everything to the young jonin beside her. He listened, without actually having to LISTEN to her while he attempted to finish his meal in peace. That is until she wrapped her pinky around his beneath the table.

He smiled warmly into his napkin as he wiped his face with the scratchy paper. Neji's gaze slid to Tenten, and the blush she carried on her cheeks made him feel honestly better about having been gone on a two month long mission as a standby for ANBU. It was great to be back.

But when Tenten's hand was suddenly wrenched, as weird as that sounded to him, from his and tucked back into her lap, he felt his headache grow. Tenten spun around to face Sakura, who had obviously dragged his younger cousin Hinata into the argument as she was standing awkwardly to the side.

'I knew going into public with her was a bad idea. Everyone assumes it's a date, and it is, but she always flips out like this.' Neji sighed, but pulled the necessary amount of money for both his meal and his 'date's' from his wallet and stood.

The three young women had scooted over to the entrance of Ichiraku's and he needed to leave without incident. 'Or... I could have a little fun. Dear Lord, I sound like Naruto. I've officially lost my mind.'

Neji rolled his eyes at his own line of thought before walking over to Sakura, Hinata, and Tenten just in time to have his hair pulled almost roughly by Tenten as if it's length would prove, as she put it, his 'gayness.' It felt good, good God it had, and he couldn't help it as a growl escaped his lips.

'Did I just growl out loud?' Neji thought, hoping by all luck that he hadn't.

'Was that Neji?' Tenten questioned.

'Neji-niisan?' Hinata wondered, shocked by the oddness of the situation she had randomly been dragged into by Sakura.

'...That was sexy.' Inner Sakura thought, while shining a whole new light on Neji in her less-than-innocent thoughts.

Neji blinked owlishly twice at the confused/appalled looks on the girls faces before a sly look overshadowed his face. He leaned in to Tenten until their noses touched and closed his eyes as he slipped an arm around her shoulder to bring her close.

He purred her name from deep in his throat and kissed her neck once before an erotic growl rumbled lowly from his chest as he pulled away from her. Her face lit up a bright red.

"Feel free to do that any time you like," he spoke slowly, deliberately, a drawl, the complete opposite of his usual clipped tones drew his words out. He turned to Sakura and winked at her, tipping her chin to look up at him as he walked by. He licked his lips, and slid his hand down to her back pockets as he passed her, with a resounding smack flying through the air to greet his ears. He smirked to himself widely.

The girls stared after him in shock, blushing when he raised a hand over his shoulder and flipped his hair from his face. He left, in the direction of the Hokage tower, his smug satisfaction radiating from him like a light in a dark room.

. . . . .

"Was he drunk?!" Sakura asked as she poked at Tenten with the bottle of water in her hands. The three girls had rushed down to the park a few blocks away shortly after the incident with Neji, all three sporting a decent blush.

"He's never been like this before, so improper I mean. It's like he was possessed." Hinata's muffled voice added to the discussion from behind the sleeve of her violet colored jacket she had clutched in her fist.

Tenten shuffled around in her seat on the bench while she ran through the night in her mind. "It''s like he and Kiba switched personalities! There's no way Neji would ever drink enough to act like that, and I've been with him all afternoon. I think he's finally just lost it."

"He'll probably be upset with his behavior later, but for now, I'm just going to say between us girls that he's got himself a new fan." Sakura whispered suggestively.

Tenten scowled. 'Whatever game you're playing Neji, enjoy it while you can, because I'm going to be the end of it!'

On the other side of Konoha, Neji was feeling rather pleased with himself. 'Let the games begin.'

End chapter 1

. . . . .

Author's Note:

1. I'm so glad I've gotten started on this story. I'm a first time author, just so y'all know, and I'd appreciate if I got some recommendations or reviews for support.

2. Alright now that I can be done with being all professional author and stuff, it's time to get down to what I wanna say! The story'll probably be around 3-5 chapters, but they'll probably be on the longer side.

3. To help my summary out a bit since it's probably a bit lacking, the overall plot is basically along the lines of: 'Neji and Tenten are secretly seeing each other, but Neji wants Tenten to be open about their relationship. After his suggestion is denied, he begins a game to get her to admit that he's hers. The game? Flirt with everything in a skirt, and even a pair of pants (but just that one time!), until she gives up! It's game on.'

3. That's a bit of an alternate summary if you will, so for anyone with a question about it, I hope that helped!

4. I love you all for reading so far, and please stay with me here as this goes along it's merry little way!

5. And yes I'm aware Neji 'seems' OOC, but he's not. He's being conniving and basically getting a 'revenge' on Tenten. The flirty Neji isn't really his personality for the story, but his alter ego for the game.

Enjoy, R&R!


	2. Inner Turmoil: Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **Thank you, thank you! You're all too kind. There's no way I'm the owner of Naruto... *stumbles away crying* That statement just hit home. Wahahaha!

Special thanks to the reviewers for the last chapter of this story: **just be platonic**, **Chisa Chispa**, and **Ichigo-chan**! You're the ones that kept me writing. Enjoy the latest installation of Inner Turmoil, written by none other than yet another hopeless fan that doesn't... own... Naruto... Dangit!

Inner Turmoil: Chapter 2

"This sucks." Tenten plopped down heavily into her seat at the table in her kitchenette. She slumped down so that her rear end was barely on the seat, and stared up at the ceiling. She pulled the kunai that was jabbed into the table from the wood and started stabbing at the table leg closest to her. "How could he do this to me? I try to talk to the guy to find out what he's up to, and he just flirts with me, then makes me leave. I understand that guys don't like to talk about their feelings, but he could at least be helpful in sorting out mine!" She ranted while glaring at the light hanging down from the wood beam above her head.

_Flashback~_

_Tenten knocked politely on the front door of the small estate. The building was just around the corner from the main Hyuga household, and was still on grounds owned by the Hyugas, but was far enough away to be considered it's own building instead of part of the compound. She always enjoyed coming over to Neji's house just because it was so quiet and tucked away from the hectic, but was referred to as being strictly organized, courtyards and bustling servants of the main compound._

_Neji opened the door, a very slight glimmer of surprise in his eyes, which was quickly replaced by a mischievous gleam that Tenten wasn't sure she liked. "What can I do for you?" Neji asked, as he leaned to the side to rest on the door frame. _

_"Neji, we need to talk." He nodded to her statement, but didn't make to move any time soon. "Alone." He just hummed in response. "So... May I come in."_

_"Of course." He smirked at her, and she wanted nothing more than to smack it from his face. She pursed her lips together and pushed past him into his foyer. Neji shut the door. "So, Tenten." Was it just her or did his voice lower? "What did you want," he took a step closer to her as she took a step back, "to talk about? It must've been very urgent for you to come all the way out here just to," Neji lowered his lips to her neck and placed a gentle kiss at the junction, "talk." He stressed the word, almost like he didn't believe her._

_Tenten pushed him away almost harshly and took a step back, trying to will away the massive blush on her face. She swallowed the lump in her throat before she began. "Yes, Neji, it's important. I want to know why you're acting so different. We've been together for a year now, and you've never, not even once flirted with another girl. What's gotten into you?"_

_Neji just chuckled. "The answer to your question of what's gotten into me, is simple. You already know what I want, and how you can give it to me. It's up to you to get it for me though." He put his arm around her shoulder and gently led her to the door. He pulled it open, kissed her lightly on the lips, then pushed her over the threshold and back outside. "Have a nice day love!" The door slammed shut on a bewildered Tenten._

_End of flashback~_

It'd hurt, she'd realized after thinking over the conversation several times on the way home, that he had just brushed her off. Her concern was at least worth thinking over. But over all of her hurt and anger, she was confused. What on earth had he meant? Neji had always been the kind of guy to speak in riddles in a sense, but did he have to be so... socially retarded when it came to talking about his feelings with her.

"I'll just give him a few days to cool his jets, then try again I guess." She kicked the table and clenched her teeth at the nails-on-a-chalkboard sound it made as it scooted across the floor. She threw the kunai at the wall beside her clock, then stood up. She set up her traps at the door, loaded her scrolls onto her back, then thought better of it. "I need to work on my taijutsu." She was interrupted by her stomach growling loudly. She turned back to look at the clock on the wall; noon, huh? "Well alright then, time for lunch Tenten." She hummed happily to herself as she set out for Ichiraku's.

. . . . .

She had been at the ramen stand for an hour, watching. Just watching. Her eyes practically spun in circles along with the seat that was spinning so fast she thought it would've killed it's occupant by now. Naruto was clinging to the seat for dear life, several empty ramen bowls on the bar in front of him, and Inuzuka Kiba directly to the side of the chair. They'd had a bet going for a while now, and Tenten was tempted to get in on it. Naruto was on his tenth bowl, and his 45th minute of spinning, and he still hadn't lost his lunch. To say the least, she was impressed.

Tenten left the amount of money required to pay for her own bowl of ramen, then left a few bills with Kiba, telling him, "next bowl is on me." Kiba grinned his signature wide grin, then saluted her as she left. Oh well, at least she got lunch and a show for the same price.

She set off towards the training grounds, ambling along the streets of the market, occasionally stopping at stalls to gaze longingly at some of the beautiful, and usually expensive, wares. Then she spotted him, and her heart sunk. Neji was leaning against a large wooden beam directly in the path of the training grounds. He was shirtless, said missing shirt tossed over his shoulder, and his pants were hanging a little low on his hips to be deemed respectable to be standing in front of a group of girls. Was that Ino and Sakura? Tenten groaned.

She walked over to the crowd, recognizing a few of Uchiha's fangirls here and there along with the pure horror of finding **HER** man surrounded by all those girls while he was looking like **THAT!** She all but growled out his name, and he spun around to meet her burning gaze.

"Oh! Hi Tenten, look girls, it's my team mate. What brings you-" Tenten yanked him down forcefully by his chin to her eye level.

"Come. With. Me. Hyuga." She ground out between her teeth.

"Yes ma'am." Neji was dragged out of the horde of girls by his wrist, and followed Tenten into the training fields.

"What do you think you're doing!?" Tenten whisper-shouted in fury, jabbing him in the chest with her index finger.

"I, was standing around with some acquaintances after training for the past several hours before I was dragged off by my girlfriend, who looks very pretty when she's angry." He tried to slide his arm around her waist, but she pulled away.

"Why are you doing this?" Tenten was upset now, past angry, and decided on just feeling hurt. She turned her back on him, but felt his hand rest on her shoulder comfortingly.

"I already told you. You just need to think about what it is most that I want you to do. When you've remembered that, you'll know." And then he was gone.

Tenten turned around to the training post dug into the ground. "I. Freaking. Hate. Riddles!" Emphasizing each word with a harsh kick to the splintering post. In that moment, the post decided that it hated riddles too.

. . . . .

She was going to beat him at his own game, and she was going to beat him good. She slightly limped over to the dissipating group of rabid fangirls, immediately spotting a flash of pink, and headed towards her friends. They were whispering quietly when she finally reached them.

"I told you he was good looking when he tried!" Sakura told Ino with a light punch to the shoulder to emphasize her point.

"I should've believed you when you said he was, but it was just... Well, unbelievable!" Ino said with a very feminine giggle.

Tenten tapped them both on the shoulder from behind, causing both of them to flinch and turn to face the older, yet much shorter female. "Hi." Tenten mumbled sluggishly.

"Did Neji leave? How did your lovers quarrel go?" Ino asked, always the nosy gossip.

Tenten immediately jumped to attention, eyes darting between the two younger girls as a blush lit up her face. "We aren't-I mean we're not-It isn't..." She tried to force the words out, but failed miserably.

Sakura clapped Tenten on the back heartily then followed Ino into a massive giggle fit. Tenten cringed. "Well, anyways Tennie, a bunch of us are going out tonight, and you're going with us. I'm sure Neji will be glad to have you there." The blonde of the small group said with a wink.

"Doubt it." Tenten mumbled, but the other girls either didn't hear her, or chose that one moment to ignore her. "Where are we going? I'll meet you all there."

"Oh no you don't, you're coming with us. This is your big chance to get Neji to be yours before someone else does. We want to help!" Ino clapped her hands together in front of her and shared a happy look with her pink-haired friend.

Tenten froze. "S-say that again Ino."

"What? That we want to help you get Neji?"

"No, Pig, she means that tonight's a good chance to get Neji to be hers. Right?"

Tenten nodded her head, not really listening to the bickering girls. 'Neji may already be mine, but I finally get what he was trying to say. I understand now!' Tenten grabbed both of their hands and smiled widely at both of the young women. "Well, let's get a move on then!" Ino squealed excitedly and pulled both girls down the street as fast as she could. Tonight would be a big night, after all.

. . . . .

'Now she understands.' Thought the very upset splintered remains of a wooden training post. 'I hate riddles.'

. . . . .

End Chapter 2

. . . . .

1. It's great to get this finished and ready to put up! So now Tenten has wisened up my friends, and I'll bet she's as excited as you all are! Or at least I hope so... Hello?! Anybody there?

2. *rocking back and forth in the fetal position.* So cold... So alone... Need... *cough* reviews...

3. Dramatic moment over now! SO, if you're enjoying this story at all, even just a little bit, you should check out my other two, Revenge (an Avatar fic), and Dignity of a Criminal (a Naruto fic.) Both are pretty good and would really appreciate some readers.

4. Anyway, stay tuned for what should be the final chapter for Inner Turmoil sometime soon. I'm a pretty sporadic writer, and just as much of a sporadic updater! So, we'll just all have to pay attention, or you more so then me. Whatever floats your metaphorical boat I guess.

5. *shudders* That poor wooden post. It... That thing will hold a grudge for forever... Curse you Tenten's foot!

6. If you want the next chapter, there's going to have to be at least 5 more reviews! I need some inspiration!

R & R my friends! Love, AMB11 :)


	3. Inner Turmoil: Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **I totally own Naruto, don't you all know that?! Don't you just hate it when people don't believe you when you say something? ...Only when they're right.

Thank you to all my reviewers for last chapter! AMB11 loves you all: **yazaru116, team orihime, and Chisa Chispa.**

This will be the final chapter of Inner Turmoil!

Inner Turmoil Chapter 3

"They need to come out."

Tenten was suddenly torn from her day dreaming by the bizarre statement. She looked up awkwardly and red-faced to the two girls towering over her. She tried to hunch down a little tighter in her seat on the short wooden stool, but any attempt to hide was futile.

"Your hair buns, they need to come out so we can see what we've got to work with." Sakura explained, already attempting to find the pins holding the brunettes hair in place.

"But... I've only ever worn my hair like this. Why on earth would I change it?" She cringed when there was a sharp tug to the left bun. Tenten smacked Ino's hands away from her hair, swiftly undid both her buns, and slid the brown hair ties onto each wrist.

"Huh, never woulda guessed it'd be that long. She's got you beat Pig." Sakura said slowly, still a little shocked by the long, wavy hair she and the blonde had just discovered beneath the typical hairstyle of their older friend.

"I've never cut it. Never thought I had to since it was always put up." Tenten suddenly flinched when she felt the first tug of a hair brush being pulled through her hair, the bristles instantly getting caught in the tangles built up from the day. Even as she felt her head getting yanked off by Sakura, Tenten smiled. 'Wonder if Neji got my surprise yet.'

. . . . .

"I can't keep this up, I'm going crazy!" Neji was pacing his living room, digging a rut into the carpeting in front of the couch from his unceasing worry. "I swore to myself I'd never get a fan club. But no, I just have to love Tenten enough to go through with all of this just to get her to realize a point! Or maybe it's because I'm possessive. Oh, who cares." He sat down on the small two-seat couch and lay his head back so that his hair wouldn't be in his face. He took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly, his first attempt to meditate since his training session earlier that morning.

She'd looked so angry, so upset, and yet he still thought that she was the prettiest girl there, even if she had been wearing an old t-shirt of his and sweatpants that really weren't even worthy to be worn to the market. And that's saying something, since he'd seen ninjas wearing battle worn and bloodied clothes to buy apples. The second she'd turned those big brown eyes on him, he'd melted away and almost blown his whole charade out of the water. "If only she'd just admit it to everyone... If only she weren't ashamed to tell..."

There was a sudden knock at the door, and Neji spun around so fast that if anyone had seen, they'd have sworn he'd just given himself whiplash. He crept up to the door, made sure the chain was in place, and slid the door open an inch. There was a simple white card sitting on top of his mail on his welcome mat. He almost felt like slapping himself at his caution over getting his mail.

"None of those girls has figured out where I live yet. Thank God it wasn't them."Neji muttered to himself. He unbolted the door, then stepped outside onto his porch. Neji picked up the plain white index and flipped it over, reading it as he shut the door behind him to stand under the awning over his front door.

_~'With love, Tenten.'~_

_. . . . ._

"What the-?" Neji ran from his house so fast, that even with his Byakugan, he just barely avoided the horde of screaming girls on his heels.

. . . . .

"I feel like crap." Tenten was staring at her reflection in the window of the some random shop, the patrons inside staring at her awkwardly. 'At least they vetoed a dress, I think I'd have tried to kill one of them. She turned to the side, giving herself a once-over and pulled on a strand of her hair. She sighed before turning to face the other girls, both of whom had the most annoying expression of unfathomable joy she'd ever seen on their faces.

"I like this look on you Tenten. It's insane what just changing a few things can do." Ino smiled widely at the petite girl before locking elbows with her and all but marching her down the street. Tenten almost tripped on the end of her pants, which must have been at least two sizes too big for her. So much for borrowing clothing from friends. 'It only works when you're the same size. I hate being so dang short.' She pulled the adjustable belt around her hips a little tighter with her free hand to keep the baggy cargo pants above her knees and jogged a bit to keep up with Sakura and Ino, who seemed much more eager about the 'Get Neji for Tenten' plan than she was. She scoffed lightly to herself. 'It's because I already have him.'

She lowered her head a little when she felt the tears prickle her eyes. 'At least I think I still do.' She swallowed the lump that was growing in her throat and shuffled across the street to the small, yet well known, restaurant her friends were meeting at. She pushed the glass door open and held it for the girls and an elderly woman that went inside. She stood off to the side of the entryway while Sakura talked to the hostess about either reserving a table or assistance in finding the table that may already hold a few of the company that was expected to come.

She saw Ino start laughing hysterically beside them both, then Sakura turning bright red, then a finger pointed at her, and a very confused hostess. Tenten decided to just brush it off as the stupidity of her company, then swiftly followed after the waitress that had offered to show the group of three to the table that apparently was already inhabited by a few 'good looking' young men, as the waitress was kind enough to point out. She spotted Neji from across the room, but it seemed as if he was too busy with a young woman seated at the table behind him to pay her any notice; the man sitting across from her didn't seem too happy.

Ino skipped over to the empty chair between Shikamaru and Choji, whereas Sakura slumped over to the seat beside Hinata, who'd already claimed the chair immediately next to Naruto with a silent threat of death in the air around her that was meant for anyone who dared to try to get her to move; all with a smile on her face. Tenten wanted to clap her on the backbone she seemed to have gotten since Naruto had finally learned that she didn't have a fainting disorder or a constant fever; she saw him take her hand under the table. 'Proud of you girl.' She wandered over to the table, which she noticed was comprised of three tables all shoved together under a really long table cloth. She didn't think twice before sitting next to Neji and immediately shoving the heel of her boot into his foot.

Neji spun around, about to chew out whoever had just crushed his foot under the table, when he realized that he didn't recognize who she was. He ran his eyes from the baggy, yet form fitting around her hips, cargo pants, the black tank that stopped just above mid-torso, but had bandages covering what it missed, and long brown hair. His eyes finally met hers, and he immediately wanted to slap himself; 'God, I was just staring.' He just couldn't help it, seeing this young woman that had such a natural beauty to her. It reminded him of Tenten. His eyes met hers, and he saw that he wasn't the only person that wanted to slap himself.

'He looks like he's never seen me before! What the heck's his problem?' She pulled the kunai that was tucked into the belt of her pants and stabbed it into the table before fixing Neji with a condescending look. "What's your problem, pretty boy? Run out of conditioner this morning?" She shot him a knowing look, inwardly feeling smug at his schooled blank look. His eyes hardened slightly while he crossed his arms across his chest and turned to face Shikamaru, who was seated across from him.

"Miss? The manager wishes you to not bring your weapons out while inside the establishment." The waitress looked like she was going to keel over, and Tenten's glare obviously didn't help the poor civilian. Tenten wrenched the ninja tool from the table and spun it on her finger expertly while she thought it over, before nodding slightly to the waitress, who scuttled off immediately.

"Do you always do this sort of thing in public?" Neji asked her with a hint of humor in his voice. He slid his hand onto her knee and rubbed his thumb in gentle circles flirtatiously. She crossed her arms across her chest and then poked his hand with the throwing knife.

"Want to lose this?" She raised her brow at him, and watched as the gears turned in his head. 'Where have I-? Oh crap.'

_~Flashback~_

_Neji flew across the field, lighter on his feet than a feather in your hand. He spun to the side, skid a few feet on his hands in a flip to avoid the weapons hurled at him, before continuing on towards his target without losing a second. He raced to the wooden post as fast as his feet could carry him. Then he saw her. Tenten flew at him from the tree line, expertly throwing just about every kind of weapon in her arsenal at him in strategic points. He dodged, desperately wanting to activate his Byakugan for assistance, but holding back his desires for fear of breaking the_ rules._ A single senbon needle buried itself in his shoulder, deep enough to hurt, but not deep enough to cause serious damage. 'Her control is getting better.' Neji thought as he raised his hands above his head in surrender._

_Tenten landed a few feet to his right and sauntered over to him, laughing the whole way. "And that's why no one likes to play tag with me. You were close too. No one ever gets that close to home base without at least getting scratched by something." She clapped him on the back, before slowly pulling the senbon from his shoulder. He didn't even wince. _

_She wiped the blood from the needle with a rag before putting both items back in her pouch. Neji gave her a disapproving look, but she just rolled her eyes at him. "I'll clean it properly_ later,_ okay? I always do." She turned around and started picking up her discarded gear, that is, until she felt a hand on her waist. She stood up, stiff as a board, a pink blush lighting her face up like the neon sign at the Bar-B-Q restaurant. "Neji?" _

_"Hmm?" She heard him mumble into her hair as he held her. _

_"You're kind of close to my... ummm..." She stumbled over her words. This was the most embarrassing moment of her life, and it was all because he was so much taller than she was. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly through her nose. "C-could you lower your hand a little bit? You're a bit close to, my, uhh, chest..." Tenten wanted to hide, or at least crawl under a rock for a few days._

_She heard him chuckle into her hair, before she felt his fingers slide up, just a little more. She squeaked out a loud 'eep!' before she bit her lip. "I know where my hand is Tenten." Oh, she was going to get him! That sly little pervert!_

_She shoved the tip of the kunai she'd retrieved from the ground into his hand, puncturing the skin just in front of his wrist, and watched the steady flow of blood drip from the wound. She wanted to laugh so badly. "Want to lose this?" She pushed the kunai in just a little farther and actually did laugh when she felt his whole body stiffen. His hand raced down to a more respectable place._

_"Feisty for such a small person, aren't you?" Tenten just kept on laughing._

_~End Flashback~ _

"Te-Tenten?!" All he got for a response was a sly smile from the girl beside him. The others at the table finally ceased their whispering about the 'new girl', the topic of which had Sakura and Ino almost in a hysterical fit for the past few minutes, and turned in surprise. Tenten patted Neji on the shoulder before turning her eyes to the menu. Everyone returned to their conversations.

Neji leaned in closer to her. "You know, I didn't appreciate your little surprise earlier."

"Oh? And here I was, thinking you'd love the attention." She bit back dangerously at him. She turned the page of the menu, while she calculated the next move of her plan.

Neji sighed. "You haven't figured it out yet have you?" He felt the kunai dig into his hand under the table.

"You're mine Hyuga. You know that, and I know that. I don't see why you had to play this whole game just to get me to realize something I already know." She paused, but when Neji tried to speak, she stopped him with a twist to the kunai; Neji barely batted an eye, despite the pain she could see in his gaze. "But, then I realized you didn't want me to realize that we were together." Tenten smiled gently at him, and pushed the blade a little deeper into the sensitive skin. Neji bit his lip when he saw a few drops of blood splatter to the ground under his chair. "You wanted the other guys and girls that held interest to realize it." She withdrew the blade from his hand, wiped it on the table cloth, and returned it to her belt loop. Neji sighed a breath of relief and smiled at her with his eyes.

"Finally." He whispered. Neji dipped one of the cloth napkins on the table into a glass of water and dabbed at the wound.

Naruto stood up, knocking over his chair in the process, and yelled so loudly that people outside the restaurant cringed. "Woah man! What the heck did you do to your hand?"

"Am I not allowed to accidentally injure myself, even though you seem to do it enough for all of us. There was a nail under the table and I cut myself." Neji lied so smoothly that had Tenten not inflicted the wound itself, she would've believed him too. Sakura took his hand from across the table, healed it quickly, then gave Tenten a knowing look, while Neji 'looked' for the 'nail' under the table.

'Make your move.' Sakura mouthed to her, Ino confirming it a few seconds later with the slightest hint of a nod. Tenten smiled at them. 'It's good to have support.' Neji straightened in his seat and smoothed out his shirt.

The waitress came by to clear a few of the dishes from the table, but everyone seated at the table saw her slip her phone number under Neji's drink. Neji caught a glimpse of Tenten, who looked about ready to explode, just to his right. He mentally prepared himself for the worst. Tenten suddenly stood, yanked the slip of paper from under the cup, shoved it into the drink itself, then dragged Neji up by the front of his shirt to stand, slightly crouched so that she could look him in eye, then let out a hot puff of air. She kicked his chair over and slapped him across the face.

"That is enough, playboy! You're off the market, and just because people don't know it, you think it's alright to hit on every girl you see? I bet you'd even go after Sasuke if he was here!"

"Well, he is rich and does seem kind of gay." His voice was laced with sarcasm. She fought to keep the angry expression on her face after his comment, and despite the glare, her eyes still held a twinkle of amusement. She yanked him down, kissed him roughly, then pushed him so hard that he fell to the ground, trying to catch his breath. Then, at that moment, the Great Neji Hyuga blushed brighter than Hinata ever had. "You're mine, Hyuga!" And with that, Tenten stomped out of the restaurant, mainly to avoid the catcalls and whistles from Ino and Sakura and possible fees for property damage from the restaurant owner.

Shikamaru leaned over the table to look at Neji, who was lying red-faced on the ground. "You're girlfriend's a feisty one for being so small."

Neji felt like laughing, but instead, he just let the corner of his lips flip up into a tiny smile. "Don't I know it."

Naruto whistled at Neji when he pushed himself off of the ground. "I don't think you're the only one that does." If it was possible, Neji's face turned even redder.

. . . . .

Tenten's smile was permanently screwed onto her face for the rest of the day. She was sitting, her back up against the tree in her team's training field, relaxing under the shade, Neji's head laying on her lap while she ran her fingers through his hair. She looked down at him with a mischievous grin and a spark in her eyes. "Have you ever considered a haircut Neji?" She ran a kunai along the hair she held loosely in her fingers. Neji's eyes widened, and he swallowed nervously. 'Messing with Tenten's mind? Worst. Freakin'. Idea. Ever.' Neji almost felt like crying.

. . . . .

The end!

. . . . .

1. Alright, whew! Decent length chapter, and it'd better get me a few more readers, because, I actually like this one. It does jump around a little bit, but it's easy to follow, and overall, I think it's funny.

2. So, relationship stabilized, but... mwahahah... Neji is in a bit of debt. Poor guy. All he wanted was love!

3. Well, his game finally came to a close, but I'm not exactly sure who won in the end. I mean, Neji did get Tenten to 'admit' to everyone that they were both unavailable so he could focus his love on her (sickeningly sweet moment... okay it's over now, continue) but she did humiliate him in the process.

4. Well, I hope you enjoyed the final chapter to Inner Turmoil! Check out my other stuff if you liked this.

5. For anyone who's interested, I have a brand new story I'm working on, and hope to have up by the end of this week. It's a NaruHina, rated T, and will, hopefully if I'm doing a good job, make you cry your guts out. For all of you that stuck with me through this story, here's your reward. A sneak preview of: Speak.

6. There were lights. Bright, bright lights shining on her face. And shadows, that hovered around her. Hinata closed her eyes, and the tears in her eyes fell down her cheeks, silently sliding into her ears. She was crying. Why? Why was she here? What had happened? She tried to turn her head, but it hurt. She tried to sit up, but her body wouldn't move. She tried to ignore the screams of all of the people around her, but closing her eyes made her head throb. Why did everything hurt? She let a few more tears roll down her face before opening her eyes and trying to figure out what was going on. It was like lightening and thunder. The bright flash of light, only this particular light was blue, and then the loud rumble that followed, except this sound was getting closer every second. She felt miserable and weak. A shadow moved closer to her, making too much noise for her sensitive ears, and she tried to tell it to stop being so annoying, but her lips wouldn't part for the words. She coughed, a deep, wet sounding cough, and she felt bile rise in her throat at the coppery tang of blood on her tongue. Why was she bleeding? Why couldn't she remember? Why... She was lifted up, then dropped gently on something soft and quickly rushed towards the blue light, but even the pillow her head was on tore even harder at her splitting headache. She couldn't understand, she couldn't see, and she couldn't speak, so she did what she could. She waited. She waited for things to make sense, for someone to explain it to her, for her mouth to be filled the questions that someone would answer. She'd get her questions, but she'd never be able to ask them, and she somehow knew this. So Hinata screamed, her eyes clenched shut, tears rolling like twin rivers down her cheeks to the bed of the gurney, blood trickling from her lips, looking just like an angel would if it were cast down to Hell. Why did everything hurt in the end...

7. ...Enjoy, and I hope this'll get you excited to read it when it comes out. Just so you as readers know, that a lot of what Hinata goes through is actually written from my own experiences. You'll understand when you get there. Thanks!

R & R, because every little penny... I mean review! counts. Love, AMB11.


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